The University of Redlands baseball team collected two victories on Sunday, defeating the visiting Denison University (OH) Big Red and regional opponent University of Puget Sound (WA) Loggers. The Bulldogs utilized the 10-run rule against the Big Red after seven innings en route to an 11-1 victory and then took down the Loggers by a score of 9-3 in the nightcap.
Against Denison, the Bulldogs initiated the scoring by posting seven runs in the top of the first inning. The highlight of the stanza came off of senior right fielder Nate Carlson's (Redlands, CA) two-run bomb, which was his third long ball in the last two contests.
Redlands added single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings, leading to a 10-1 advantage.
Junior shortstop Chase Tucker (Poway, CA) ended the ball game in the seventh with an RBI-double, resulting in UR's 11-1 victory. Tucker finished out the game with three hits and crossed the plate on the three occasions.
Rookie centerfielder Alex Scheiwe (Encinitas, CA) posted a three-hit game and scored three runs as well. The freshman also collected two steals on the base paths.
Junior lefty pitcher Adam Byrd (Bullhead City, AZ) provided his most impressive start of the 2011 season, picking up the win after seven innings. He allowed only one Big Red run on six hits while fanning two batters.
In the second game, both squads recorded early runs to knot the score at one apiece after three frames.
However, Redlands, which was playing as the visiting team, took the lead in the top of the fourth when sophomore third baseman Jason Henning (Redlands, CA) and junior first baseman Jon Cavender (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) connected on RBI-doubles to push across two runs. In the process, Henning laced his team-leading 11th double while Cavender collected his 21st RBI of the season.
The Loggers fought back in the bottom of the inning by registering a run of their own to cut the deficit to one.
But Carlson answered in the top of the sixth with his second long ball of the day, which came on a three-run shot to put the game out of reach for Puget Sound.
Senior ace Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) led the way from the mound by tossing seven productive innings. The starter gave up just three runs while scattering 10 hits and ringing up nine Loggers.
Coming out of the Redlands pen, junior Brock Jacobo (Yuma, AZ) finished out the game with two scoreless innings.
The Bulldogs (15-6, 9-3) pick up Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition again on Friday when they travel to Caltech for a 3 p.m. game. Redlands returns home on Saturday for the doubleheader against the Beavers, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Yard.